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Todd Denlinger looked at his lunch mates at Ohio State before a recent practice and realized he would have been accused of fraternizing with the enemy not so long ago.

The Troy native was seated with three former high school rivals: Northmont's Kurt Coleman, Piqua's Brandon Saine and Wayne's Donnie Evege.

"It was kind of a GWOC table," Denlinger said.

But the burly defensive tackle and the other standouts from the Greater Western Ohio Conference aren't the only ones learning to socialize with players they once disdained.

About 70 percent of OSU's roster each year is filled with Ohioans, meaning players from some of the most heated rivalries in the state inevitably suit up — and break bread — together. The Buckeyes routinely tap into the talent pools at Canton McKinley and Massillon, Lakewood St. Edward and Cleveland Ignatius, Cincinnati St. Xavier and Cincinnati Elder, and, of course, Wayne and Centerville and Piqua and Troy.

Perhaps more than any other team in the nation, OSU has had to become adept at putting past grudges aside.

"It's easy to get over," Denlinger said. "Once you step into the Ohio State locker room, we're all Buckeyes. We always talk about (high school) and give each other grief, saying, 'Northmont this' or 'Piqua that.' But we're all brothers and we have a good time together."

Wayne grad Marcus Freeman, a two-year starter at weakside linebacker, learned much of what he knows about playing the position from his predecessor, A.J. Hawk — a former Centerville star.

"The Dayton guys, we're close-knit," Freeman said. "We always make sure we represent the Dayton area the best we can. We're all good friends, and we all joke about who's the best team back home. We stay in close contact to make sure we see who's winning those games."

The Buckeyes have five starters from the Miami Valley — more than any other region in the state — and 13 players from the area overall. And while the exploits of their alma maters always are popular talking points, they especially love to goad each other about their own high school days.

With Denlinger nearby, Coleman crowed about Northmont's 42-35 win over Troy that clinched a GWOC championship in 2004, and the two began trading insults.

"They never beat me during my high school career," Coleman said. "I don't know if they've ever won a game in the history of Troy."

With Coleman laughing heartily, Denlinger countered that the T-Bolts engaged in illegal tactics like holding and chop blocks. "You had it all," he said.

But Coleman shrugged that off by saying Troy wasn't even one of the bigger games on Northmont's schedule.

"We really looked past Troy to Trotwood and Vandalia," he joked.

Denlinger and Coleman have bonded as first-year starters on the nation's top-rated defense. Denlinger is a menace in the middle, often forcing offenses to devote two blockers to stop him, while Coleman's speed and instincts have helped him to thrive at the free safety position, having registered the fourth-most tackles on the team with 54.

"Todd is a beast," Coleman said. "He definitely can disrupt a lot of things."

Denlinger is complimentary of Coleman, too.

"He's all over the field and is a hard hitter with great hands," he said. "He's everything you want in a safety. I'm glad he's on my side of the ball — because I wouldn't want him hitting my teammates."

As Denlinger has learned, Coleman limits the shots he takes on his fellow defenders to the verbal kind.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or at dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Dayton-area Buckeyes
No.	Player	Pos.	High school
86	Jake Ballard	TE	Springboro
17	Todd Boeckman *	QB	St. Henry
4	Kurt Coleman *	S	Northmont
92	Todd Denlinger *	DT	Troy
30	Donnie Evege	CB	Wayne
1	Marcus Freeman *	LB	Wayne
61	Jackson Haas	LS	Piqua
51	Ross Homan	LB	Coldwater
57	Tom Ingham	DE	Centerville
63	Ben Person *	G	Xenia
3	Brandon Saine	RB	Piqua
38	Austin Spitler	LB	Bellbrook
81	Brent Ullery	WR	Centerville
* Denotes starter